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Post by chaykinstevens on Jul 29, 2022 14:00:23 GMT -5
We go back to the jail break where the team is confronted by a woman who is unnamed and a team of Ninjas wearing white. They fight but the Four escape leaving the Villain Called Gage behind. According to GCD, Gage is one of the Four, which would mean only three of the Four escaped. The woman that frees the five is never given a name and we are left to guess whether she’s just a merc hired to break Strongarm out. She seems to be called Showdown. Liefeld may have been been attempting an Alan Moore-ish ironic scene transition by having Shaft from the previous scene talking about one heckuva showdown in the panel where she first appears, and Gage says "Ten seconds till bodyslide, Showdown" in a later panel. If she freed three of the Four, who are the five? The scene where Diehard appears is a double paged vertical spread. We didn’t really need that. I never read Liefelds X-force. Does anyone know if this use of page count was often used? I thought I could recall Liefeld turning a previouly drawn headshot of Cable sideways to fill two pages of New Mutants or X-Force when he was near a deadline, but I couldn't find the image online, so may be misremembering.
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Post by Graphic Autist on Jul 29, 2022 15:10:26 GMT -5
I remember when this title came out, and I have never read it. I had recently graduated high school, and by then I was jaded by "hot" comics and all the speculator crap. My epiphany probably occurred when I realized I had actually bought 5 different copies of the same comic book (on purpose), but with different covers. That was X-Men #1.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jul 29, 2022 15:22:18 GMT -5
Sure enough, Jim Shooter at his micro-managing worst ultimately wiped the floor with Image until Steve Massarsky saw an opportunity to line his own pockets and sent Shooter packing. Do you have any sales figures to support this? Back when I was doing my Wizard magazine review thread, it was pretty apparent in both sales figures and article content, though I have nothing I can cite off the cuff. As I recall, Image started way bigger but the constant delays really shook their sales. At a certain point, folks seemed to figure out that most series weren't getting to issue #3, and that shook both investor and casual reader interest whereas Valiant was shipping reliably and selling a well-planned universe that was expanding in a logical and supportable way. Edit: double checked myself, and I'm only partially right. Wizard #21 acknowledges why people are losing faith in Image and indicates that Valiant back issues are rising in value while Image's are dead in the water, but while everyone expected this to translate to new sales as well, it didn't in the four months after (I stopped reviewing after that).
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 29, 2022 15:42:28 GMT -5
Do you have any sales figures to support this? Back when I was doing my Wizard magazine review thread, it was pretty apparent in both sales figures and article content, though I have nothing I can cite off the cuff. As I recall, Image started way bigger but the constant delays really shook their sales. At a certain point, folks seemed to figure out that most series weren't getting to issue #3, and that shook both investor and casual reader interest whereas Valiant was shipping reliably and selling a well-planned universe that was expanding in a logical and supportable way. Edit: double checked myself, and I'm only partially right. Wizard #21 acknowledges why people are losing faith in Image and indicates that Valiant back issues are rising in value while Image's are dead in the water, but while everyone expected this to translate to new sales as well, it didn't in the four months after (I stopped reviewing after that). The sad thing was when the Image/Valiant crossover Deathmate was released , a lot of the fire was out of the companies. Certainly the late shipping was the final nail.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 29, 2022 15:45:50 GMT -5
Youngblood # 0Artist Rob Liefeld/ Dan Fraga
Inker Danny Miki
Color: Brian Murray
Date of release: 12-11-92
SynopsisThe year is 1988 and the scene is the Whitehouse where they are discussing an incident on the Kuwaiti border involving Kusein that needs a response. They decide to send a Youngblood team . There are several teams but this one seems to be a surprise to the administration. They do a helicopter drop at the border where hey engage and defeat Kusseins forces. No one they are fighting appears to have super powers. After they win, Leader Colonel Stone orders everyone to evacuate and is challenged by Colonel Boggs who insists on going to the underground bunkers to get their supplies and weapons to cut off the enemies resources. Stone orders them not to but Boggs goes anyway and takes another soldier with him. They are killed in a bobbytrapped bunker. Another soldier that fought with the Youngblood team named Gamble, begins to accuse Stone of not trying hard enough to stop them from being killed in the bunker and a fight between them ensues. A non powered Gamble is killed by a super powered Stone. Diehard and Chapel thake him into custody. In a trial 59 hours later Stone is convicted and relieved of his leadership of that Youngblood unit. It is revealed in the trial that both Boggs and Gamble were both clones and that Stone himself has gone through a similar process. The upcoming Bloodstrike will reveal just what that process is. 14 Months later he is replaced by Shaft who is introduced to the team which consists of Vogue, Die-Hard, Bedrock, Combat, Chapel and a new character to the book called link. Impressions:
Liefeld gets help for the artwork on this issue by Dan Fraga who is one of the many artists that got their start in Extreme studios. He draws pages 4-9 ,12 and 13. Of the pages Leifeld has produced there are 5 horizontal pages that are either splashes or regular pages layed out like one page. Does that save time? It feels like too much. This issue was released in December of 1992, two months after the previous issue. Again Liefeld is the writer and in his podcasts he has stated that writing is a slower process for him than most, so this could be another reason the books are not timely in their release. The Cover is of the wrap around Variety and features a mix of Youngblood characters that are not all inside the book. The Character Link is shown at the end as part of the team. Maybe he is in future issues or maybe he is killed between this book set in 1989 and the present day shown in issue #1 which is 1992. The Ads inside the issue herald a Prophet and a Bloodstrike comic to be coming in 1993.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Jul 29, 2022 16:02:44 GMT -5
Back when I was doing my Wizard magazine review thread, it was pretty apparent in both sales figures and article content, though I have nothing I can cite off the cuff. As I recall, Image started way bigger but the constant delays really shook their sales. At a certain point, folks seemed to figure out that most series weren't getting to issue #3, and that shook both investor and casual reader interest whereas Valiant was shipping reliably and selling a well-planned universe that was expanding in a logical and supportable way. Edit: double checked myself, and I'm only partially right. Wizard #21 acknowledges why people are losing faith in Image and indicates that Valiant back issues are rising in value while Image's are dead in the water, but while everyone expected this to translate to new sales as well, it didn't in the four months after (I stopped reviewing after that). I think Wizard #21 was published in March 1993. Shooter seems to have left Valiant around July 1992. by which point image had only published five comics (partly because of Liefeld's inability to meet deadlines).
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Post by commond on Jul 29, 2022 16:17:44 GMT -5
The scene where Diehard appears is a double paged vertical spread. We didn’t really need that. I never read Liefelds X-force. Does anyone know if this use of page count was often used? Not sure, but there was a crossover with McFarlane's Spider-Man where both issues had to be read sideways.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jul 29, 2022 16:30:17 GMT -5
Back when I was doing my Wizard magazine review thread, it was pretty apparent in both sales figures and article content, though I have nothing I can cite off the cuff. As I recall, Image started way bigger but the constant delays really shook their sales. At a certain point, folks seemed to figure out that most series weren't getting to issue #3, and that shook both investor and casual reader interest whereas Valiant was shipping reliably and selling a well-planned universe that was expanding in a logical and supportable way. Edit: double checked myself, and I'm only partially right. Wizard #21 acknowledges why people are losing faith in Image and indicates that Valiant back issues are rising in value while Image's are dead in the water, but while everyone expected this to translate to new sales as well, it didn't in the four months after (I stopped reviewing after that). I think Wizard #21 was published in March 1993. Shooter seems to have left Valiant around July 1992. by which point image had only published five comics (partly because of Liefeld's inability to meet deadlines). I'm honestly not sure if that counters my point or validates it 😁
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 29, 2022 19:03:52 GMT -5
I think Wizard #21 was published in March 1993. Shooter seems to have left Valiant around July 1992. by which point image had only published five comics (partly because of Liefeld's inability to meet deadlines). I'm honestly not sure if that counters my point or validates it 😁 Shax, I’m so glad you are a part of this thread. I miss our various battles. It’s like Ali vs Frazier all over again.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 29, 2022 19:23:18 GMT -5
I agree... I was just starting having a pull list when Image came out, and I loved the idea of being there at the start... I got most of the first issues. I didn't stick with Youngblood past these two though.. it was confusing (Liefeld doesn't even know the names of his characters, they changed Bedrock to Badrock IIRC). The energy is there, sure.. if a non-professional posted something like that here, I could appreciate it and maybe offer feedback. For it to be the launch of a new line and pay real money, no thanks. I stuck with Stormwatch and Brigade until the 'Image for Tomorrow' thing, and ended up getting Shadowhawk in back issues, but none of the other stuff really ever caught my fancy. Seriously, I find it wild that Liefelds very first entry into the Image universe is the title that was the most short lived. It seems that he was too busy running the Extreme studio that his output was all but gone. The other titles like Team Youngblood , Brigade, Supreme and Bloodstrike were done by others and they all had decent runs lasting into the 30's to 50's. I believe all of the Image 7 got culture shock when they suddenly were responsible for EVERYTHING instead of just turning in pencils.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 29, 2022 19:28:02 GMT -5
The true shame is why didn’t the inker fix it? Because there wasn't an editor to tell him to fix it. Much like the writer /editor situation in Marvel in the 70's, No one watches the watchmen. Also, the inker was a kid who just got a gig in Comics, I don't know if he had the skill to fix bad renderings or the guts to question his boss.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 29, 2022 19:31:37 GMT -5
We go back to the jail break where the team is confronted by a woman who is unnamed and a team of Ninjas wearing white. They fight but the Four escape leaving the Villain Called Gage behind. According to GCD, Gage is one of the Four, which would mean only three of the Four escaped. The woman that frees the five is never given a name and we are left to guess whether she’s just a merc hired to break Strongarm out. She seems to be called Showdown. Liefeld may have been been attempting an Alan Moore-ish ironic scene transition by having Shaft from the previous scene talking about one heckuva showdown in the panel where she first appears, and Gage says "Ten seconds till bocyslide, Showdown" in a later panel. If she freed three of the Four, who are the five? The scene where Diehard appears is a double paged vertical spread. We didn’t really need that. I never read Liefelds X-force. Does anyone know if this use of page count was often used? I thought I could recall Liefeld turning a previouly drawn headshot of Cable sideways to fill two pages of New Mutants or X-Force when he was near a deadline, but I couldn't find the image online, so may be misremembering. You have the benefit of knowing what happened or doing the research 30 years later. I am reading this kind of , for the first time. My impressions are if I am reading it off the comic racks in 1992. The four are not defined yet as of the 0 issue. But as they teleport away, there are 5 people pictured. Gage is caught, but 4 other people get away.
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 30, 2022 6:51:05 GMT -5
Liefeld was not satisfied with the script and I understand that it has been rescripted by someone else in reprint editions. According to GCD, the Image Firsts reprint of Youngblood #1, which had a cover price of $1.00, was rescripted by Joe Casey and also recoloured. The pages were in a new order, with the two stories merged into one. If I ever see this reprint on the cheap , I’ll pick it up to see the differences.
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Post by MWGallaher on Jul 30, 2022 7:04:08 GMT -5
Liefeld gets help for the artwork on this issue by Dan Fraga who is one of the many artists that got their start in Extreme studios. He draws pages 4-9 ,12 and 13. Of the pages Leifeld has produced there are 5 horizontal pages that are either splashes or regular pages layed out like one page. Does that save time? I've always wondered how those pouch-bands stay up around those massive Liefeld thighs. Judging by Stripe-face Guy's depiction on the left panel, they do indeed slide right down to the ankles when you're in a downward dive!
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Post by Icctrombone on Jul 30, 2022 7:12:31 GMT -5
Hahah. No one in 80 years has explained how Superman changes direction or increases his speed while flying. Pouches will have to wait. Lol.
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